GUWAHATI
A single-member committee set up by the High Court of Meghalaya to check illegal rat-hole coal mining said such activities continue in six coal-rich districts of the State.
The Justice (retired) B.P. Katakey panel, in its 27th interim report compiled after drone videography of the mines and volumetric assessment of coal, apart from the extracted coal inventoried by an authorised private firm, provides fresh evidence of unauthorised mining despite seizures under the Mines and Minerals Development and Regulation (MMDR) Act of 1957.
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The panel said the State government, in compliance with a September 2022 court order, reported that 92,268.43 metric tonnes (MT) of coal were seized in the East Jaintia Hills, South Garo Hills, and West Khasi Hills districts between May and August 2022. The private firm engaged by the State government recorded an additional 41,477.54 MT of coal in these districts.
A report submitted by the State’s Mining and Geology Department to the committee less than three years later (on February 4) said the volume of seized coal was 4,10,796.4403 MT in these three districts along with the West Jaintia Hills, East Garo Hills, and South West Khasi Hills districts.
Justice Katakey pointed out that the coal declared seized in the West Jaintia Hills, East Garo Hills, and South West Khasi Hills districts was 1,69,602.35 MT more than what was mentioned in a 2022 report by the State government to the High Court in 2022.
“The aforementioned information, therefore, aptly establishes the continued mining of coal in the said districts after mapping by means of drone videography and volumetric assessment of coal, other than inventoried coal, as done by the private firm engaged by the State government,” he said in the interim report.
He also underlined the mismatch of coal figures in the East Jaintia, West Khasi Hills, and South Garo Hills districts between 2022 and February 4, 2025.
“Illegal coal mining activities are continuing, for which a huge quantity of coal, i.e., 41,0796.4403 MT was seized and presently available, as against 92,268.43 MT seized… as reflected in the aforesaid report submitted by the State government before this court,” Justice Katakey said.
The panel recommended several measures, including drone surveillance, to curb illegal coal mining activities. It noted that the State’s difficult terrain made conventional surveillance challenging and suggested extensive monitoring with drones.
In addition to drone surveillance, the report stressed the importance of regular patrolling.
